Month: December 2016

Neighborhood Foods Farm is a proud Blue Ribbon winner in the ‘Urban Farm’ category of PHS’s Annual Greening and Gardening Contest! Special shout out to our amazing farmers, and to our Neighborhood Foods Coop members Atuwfa & Cassandra for winning a Blue Ribbon for their Children’s garden at Blaine school. Click here to view a list of all 2016 contest winners.

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We Need Your Support!

Dear Friend and Supporter of Urban Tree Connection,

As 2016 comes to a close and we put our community farm and gardens to rest for the winter, all of us at Urban Tree Connection (UTC) are reflecting on this year of transition. In April, we bid farewell to our beloved founding Director, Skip Wiener, who retired after nearly 30 years of leadership. It was Skip’s fierce passion and community-minded vision that led me to UTC in 2015, and I am humbled to carry the baton as the new Executive Director during this historical time when we are all being called to leadership.

Our accomplishments are a reflection of our talented staff, community leadership, partners, volunteers, and funders like you. Together this year, we:

secured the deed to Neighborhood Foods Farms,

produced over 12,000 lbs. of sustainably West-Philly grown produce,

launched three new farm stands and a low-income CSA in food insecure neighborhoods, and

provided gardening and health and wellness education to over 200 children, teen apprentices, adults and elders.

UTC staff have also been building local and national relationships with growers and food justice advocates through farm and garden tours, dialogue and learning circles, and in gathering to urge City Council to invest in and protect community-based agriculture.

This forward momentum is launching us into 2017 with much more work to do! We are fighting to keep our core work intact as funding shifts. We are thankful for you, our faithful donors, and are depending on your continued support to sustain our work in Haddington.

Together, you, UTC, and the residents of Haddington have created an extraordinary body of work. During this time of great uncertainty, we must continue to build and reinforce the power of communities. For UTC, this means community-led reclamation of land for the holistic health of the Haddington neighborhood.

Please support our efforts by making a donation to Urban Tree Connection this holiday season. Donations can be made using the PayPal link above or if you prefer to donate by mail, simply make a check payable to “Urban Tree Connection” and send it to UTC, c/o First African Presbyterian Church, 4159 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

With deepest gratitude,

Noelle Warford

Executive Director

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A Letter from UTC’s Board Chair:

The Urban Tree Connection Board of Directors is proud and excited to announce Noelle Warford as the new Executive Director! Noelle takes this position after the retirement of Skip Wiener, our beloved founding Director, who served an almost 30-year tenure. Noelle has been working with UTC since April 2015 as the Programs Director. In this position, she led substantial advancements, particularly in her leadership of the program staff, which increased cohesion and created a clear, shared vision for their work.

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Each spring, Edible Communities publications across the U.S. and Canada present Local Hero Awards to honor members of their communities who have made significant contributions to the local food movement. UTC has been nominated for a 2017 Local Hero Award by the Edible Philly Community. Voting ends December 31, 2016 so be sure to cast your vote! Awards will be presented at the annual Philly Farm and Food Fest in Spring and announced in the Spring 2017 issue of Edible Philly.